While the present invention has wide industry applicability, it is particularly useful for transporting take-out beverages dispensed at retail food and drink establishments such as stores, restaurants, and breweries.
Many breweries and brewpubs allow patrons to take home draft beer, and the typical means of doing so is with a growler. A growler is a glass or ceramic jug which may be sold or loaned to patrons by the brewery and filled with beer from a tap at the brewery. A drawback of a growler is that it often must be purchased for an additional fee or returned to the brewery. Growlers also generally have a screw-on cap or a hinged porcelain gasket cap, which may be opened and closed without limitation. Growlers do not include any means to close the growler in a semi-permanent or tamper proof manner. Thus, in jurisdictions having laws prohibiting an open carton of alcohol, it is not possible to show that the growler remained closed during transportation.
What is desired therefore is an improved means for transporting beverages and other items.